Hi, I wanted to share with you some information about my DIY bikepacking bags

At first I needed a smaller bag which would replace my pannier during one day trips. I have a rack mounted in my vintage Gazelle Randonneur Trophy all the time – in this case I see transverse saddlebag as superior over saddlebag in classical shape.

I thought about buying Carriadice bag, but they use cotton duck which is to heavy for my taste :| My cycling setup would gain weight instead of loosing it, because pannier in same size is lighter.

I decided to make my own bag of Cordura which saved 400 grams without sacrificing functionality. Finally I also added few useful features as additional bottom strap with buckle (yes, I am using buckles wherever it's possible), which makes attaching my bag to rack very fast and makes luggage more stable. I added a handle, now there is a way to catch the bag in less than a second – no need to attach shoulder strap every time...

I also made a QR mount which works with all my saddles. It has adjustable mounting width and added some “distance” (some saddles have their rails hidden you need some kind of a spacer).

As I made my new MTB bike with dirt drop I thought about getting some cages for front fork. The problem is when you have suspension front fork /or you don't want to carry them all the time (and make our bike heavier ~400 grams forever ;((( ). For these reasons I designed my QR polycarbonate cage, which can work with suspension front forks or forks with eyelets.

This rack is currently just my DIY prototype. I am planning to redesign similar rack which will be for sale. What I love about it is 350 g weight and dimensions which fits bag perfectly - due to wide platform (as I remember well 20 cm). The only improvement it requires is Nitto style bottom plates to fit every most common wheel sizes. If you are interested in it just keep in touch, we can discuss making one for you.

Yeah cages have similar built to Gorilla Cage. Main difference between and mine is that I am using steel snail clamps instead of ziplocks - I just wouldn't. I will also try to make adapter for forks with one eyelet (I see this is quite common), so it will be using one bolt and one snail clamp.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'snail clamps'. Do you mean 'jubilee clamps'?

The Gorilla cage uses standard boss mounts, unless they aren't present, in which case you can use a 'sold separately' mount that uses ziplocks.

If you are trying to sell your product on the basis that it doesn't use ziplocks, this forum isn't the place. We love ziplocks, and quite frankly I'm not sure what you have against them. They don't rust, for starters. Unless you are using stainless jubilee clamps, ziplocks are superior for a lot of uses.

Yes, jubilee clamps I was using ziplocks to attach e.g. front fender for winter commuting and it didn't work for me. It was to easy to kick it and as it is cold plastic becomes fragile. This kind of cages are also mostly used on shaky trails, if broken welds are common (salsa was replacing their cages for this reason) I think there is a reason to be worried. Not loosing luggage is more important than few grams (it would be even lighter.. ), if not, replacing stainless clamps with ziplocks is possible.

Saving weight but not at all costs I like to feel confidence that I can rely on my bike and don't care about unexpected events. In the end, I think that using suspension fork should be something more common in bikepacking. QR adapters for them wold be included making it more affordable. Same with dry bags.

Looks like decent kit and, being lighter than a Carradice, should have a worthwhile market. HK likes her old nylon Karrimor saddlebag (and we have about a dozen Carradice saddlebags of various types) but would like more waterproofing.

The bags do look interesting. Carradice like but in lighter (and colourful!) materials. Perhaps you should give some weights, as that's the main selling point? To what extent is the Cordura waterproof?

On a different topic, I see your MTB is a Romet. What do you think of it? Are they making a "dirt bike with drops" now or is that your own build?

Looks like decent kit and, being lighter than a Carradice, should have a worthwhile market. HK likes her old nylon Karrimor saddlebag (and we have about a dozen Carradice saddlebags of various types) but would like more waterproofing.

Friend of mine is using Carradice saddlebag and he didn't have problems even during heavy rains. You can try restore waterproofing of canvas using wax. You can also try DWR spray which will help keeping bag clean.

The bags do look interesting. Carradice like but in lighter (and colourful!) materials. Perhaps you should give some weights, as that's the main selling point? To what extent is the Cordura waterproof?

It is waterproof enough. Once I left my Ortlieb handlebar bag outside for a night (I was to lazy to get out of my hammock). After REALLY strong rainstorm camera lens were a bit cloudy because of some moisture. It not hermetic as PVC but gives proper protection against water. I also think that renewing DWR layer from time to time would be good idea.

On a different topic, I see your MTB is a Romet. What do you think of it? Are they making a "dirt bike with drops" now or is that your own build?

This is my own built. Frame has very similar geometry to Salsa Fargo. It's slightly longer (580 mm for 17" frame) which is good. In fact it could be longer for me. Now I think 19" wold be better choice for me. I have to use 105 mm stem now.

All in all frame is really nice. It has tapered headset and two pairs of eyelets for rack. Welding quality is much better than in cheaper Cube bikes.

Looks like decent kit and, being lighter than a Carradice, should have a worthwhile market. HK likes her old nylon Karrimor saddlebag (and we have about a dozen Carradice saddlebags of various types) but would like more waterproofing.

Friend of mine is using Carradice saddlebag and he didn't have problems even during heavy rains. You can try restore waterproofing of canvas using wax. You can also try DWR spray which will help keeping bag clean.

Thanks but obviously I was unclear. Our Carradice bags are effectively waterproof but HK's nylon Karrimor saddlebag is not. That is the saddlebag that she wishes was more waterproof.

They look very nice, my only criticism is those horrible jubilee clips

They do not look bad in real life in my opinion and they are more durable cable ties. Even King Cage is using themThere is also possibility of using heat shrinkable tubes to make them less visible (can be same colour as fork).

I did't notice but I have two green colours.. The one on the left I would call olive (or light olive) - I have only one pair of them. Bag on the right side is light green, just as shown on the swatch. Olive is definitely better for your bike.

Whoa those are both a little too light coloured / bright.Left looks like Apple colour and right looks like lime.Olive is more darker , richer green.Actually seeing your prices, I can only wish you good luck with the project.

Thanks for being interested in my project anyway Prices are not as low as I would like them to be :| I wanted to order everything from third party workshops - in small numbers it's not cheap! Especially cages requires a lot of work as they are not made of mold. Each piece of Polycarbonate have to be CNC carved and manually bent and that's just beginning of work.. Final price is still about the same if you consider another QR cage with bag and adapter for suspension fork.